Bao Dai

Bao Dai (22 October 1913-30 July 1997) was the Emperor of Nguyen dynasty-era Vietnam from 8 January 1926 to 25 August 1945, succeeding Khai Dinh, and Chief of State from 13 June 1949 to 26 October 1955, succeeding Nguyen Van Xuan and preceding Ngo Dinh Diem. He ruled over the French protectorate of Annam before being made the puppet ruler of French Indochina, and he was exiled to France upon Vietnamese independence.

Biography
Nguyen Phuc Vinh Thuy was born in Hue, Vietnam on 22 October 1913, and he adopted his title "Protector of Grandeur" upon accession to the throne in 1926. He studied in France until 1932, and he cooperated with French colonial authorities before accepting Japanese occupation during World War II. This led to him being discredited, and he was deposed by Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh in 1945. After the return of the French colonial authorities to Vietnam, he became the leader of a puppet state in 1949. Following the Geneva agreements between France and the Viet Minh, this became South Vietnam in 1954, and Bao Dai became its first president. He lacked the charisma, integrity, and authority to be accepted by the Vietnamese people, and he was deposed by Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem. He retired to France, and he died in Paris in 1997 at the age of 83.